By Darryl John Esguerra
MANILA – Gilas Pilipinas Women surged to 14th in the latest FIBA 3×3 world rankings, climbing eight spots to achieve the highest ranking ever for a Philippine 3×3 national team.
The leap follows the team’s dominant showing at the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League Asia-Pacific 1 held in Doha, Qatar, a campaign that secured the Philippines a coveted slot in the 2025 FIBA 3×3 U23 World Cup in China.
The Philippines ruled four of the six stops in the Doha tourney, finishing with 530 points, 50 points up of second-ranked New Zealand.
Composed of Cielo Pagdulagan, Kristine Cayabyab, Cheska Apag, Jem Meniano, Elaine Etang, and Kacey Dela Rosa, Gilas won Stops 1, 2, 4, and 5 to book their ticket to China, where the showpiece youth event will be held from Sept. 17 to 21.
“We’re really proud of their accomplishments in Doha,” Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy said.
“Our women’s teams have always been capable of competing against the best in the region and now the best in the world. They just needed the support to give them the opportunities to prove their skill.”
National team’s coach Anton Altamirano expressed gratitude for the support that helped the nationals achieve the feat.
“It’s always an amazing feeling when you accomplish something that nobody expected. We came in the tournament with a goal to win some stops as we failed to do it last year. But when we won our first game against New Zealand, we felt we could do it. I’m really happy not just because we qualified but because I saw how well the girls prepared and did everything we told them to do no matter how hard it was,” he said.
With its improved world rankings, the Philippines is now the fourth-best team in Asia behind Japan, Mongolia, and China.
“Ranking 14th in the world is a great achievement and I believe it’s only the start,” Altamirano said. (PNA)
